The Doctoral program is a four- to five-year, full-time, fully-funded, research-oriented program, which features setting up a research program, course work, and a close relationship with a faculty advisor. The number of graduate student admitted is limited. Currently, the ratio of faculty to doctoral students is approximately 1 to 1.
Students apply to one of the Psychology Department's three areas of concentration (Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Neuroscience; Social-Personality Psychology; and Developmental Psychology) and receive a Ph.D. degree in that area. Students may also participate in one of the department's interdisciplinary programs. One focuses on Neuroscience, the other on Affective Science. Information about the areas of concentration and interdisciplinary programs can be found in the Graduate Program Handbook.
Admissions Process
The Admissions Process is described on the Boston College Graduate School of Arts and Sciences website.
The deadline for applications is January 2. Students indicate on the application form whether they wish to be considered for the M.A. program, the Ph.D. program, or both. Students submit a personal statement about the research they wish to pursue and the faculty member with whom they would like to work, three letters of recommendation, a transcript, and GRE scores (the Psychology subject test is optional). Students are admitted to work with a particular faculty member and within one of our three areas. Please visit the faculty page for a list of faculty members who serve as advisors in each area. In conjunction with the advisor, a student can devise a program of study that cuts across area boundaries or that is interdisciplinary in scope (and may join one of our cross-area research programs). Admission is selective and requires approval of the advisor and of the department's Graduate Admissions Committee.
Type of Student to be Admitted
Our doctoral program is aimed at students who intend to become research psychologists, participating in the basic search for knowledge about human beings. The focus throughout the stay at Boston College is on original reserach. Students also attend professional conferences.
Advisor and Thesis Committee
Each student is assigned a primary advisor. By the end of the first semester, the student, along with the advisor, selects two additional faculty members to serve on a thesis committee.
Course Requirements
Course Requirements are listed in Appendix 2 of the Graduate Student Handbook.
2nd Year Research Project
The Ph.D. student's initial task is the production of a thesis. Work on this task begins on day one of the first year. During the first year, a topic is selected, background reading carried out, a research program designed and piloted, and a proposal (written much like a grant proposal) is submitted to the student's three-person committee. The proposal is defended orally in front of the committee, and must have final approval by the committee by the end of September of Year 2.
In the second year, any further pilot work needed is carried out, IRB approval is obtained, the data gathered and analyzed, and the thesis written and defended (by April of Year 2).
The thesis reports original empirical research initiated and carried out while in our program. Students may not bring previously collected data and use these data for the thesis. Although the entire project is carried out in close collaboration with the advisor, the student should be the major contributor to the thesis. Thus the student should qualify for senior authorship on the thesis when the thesis is submitted for publication (which we strongly encourage).
The thesis is to be in the form of an article publishable in a good journal in the student's area. The evaluation of the thesis is based on the criterion of publishability - with the exception that results need not have turned out statistically significant.
Funding
Ph.D. students are fully funded, and tuition is waived. The University also contributes 50% to the students health insurance costs. During that first year, students serve as a Research Assistant. Students serve as TA each of the remaining semesters of the program.
Four- or Five-Year Time Limit
Students must attend this program on a full-time basis. The program is designed to be completed within four years, but students find a fifth year helpful.